New Medicine Service - self-assessment of
readiness for community pharmacists
This self-assessment is to provide you (the pharmacist) with a framework to assure yourself, your employer (where
appropriate) and the NHS that you have reflected upon the skills and knowledge necessary to deliver the New
Medicine Service (NMS) and can demonstrate them.
Pharmacy contractors are separately required to ensure that their premises meet the required standard and that all
the pharmacists providing the service have completed this self-assessment.
1) Are you eligible to provide the service?
Are you accredited to provide Medicines Use Reviews (MURs)?
Yes
No
2) Do you understand the purpose and background of the service?
Do you know why this service is being commissioned and the evidence behind it?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
This requires you to reflect on your knowledge about the service, including its role in supporting appropriate
medicines adherence and where it fits in the NHS QIPP (Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention) work
programme and Government policies to increase patients’ involvement in their own care.
3) Do you understand the aims and intended outcomes of the service?
Do you understand the aim of the service to support patients taking a new medicine?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
Do you understand what outcomes are required when providing this service?
Yes, because I have undertaken the following:
This requires you to reflect on your knowledge about adherence, the eligible conditions / therapies and the
medicines used in the eligible conditions / therapies. This includes the theory and practical application of
supportive interventions, together with how this will work in the pharmacy/pharmacies where you work and in
your daily professional practice.
4) Do you understand the service specification and how to deliver it effectively?
Do you understand the service and how to provide it?
Yes, I understand the patient engagement, intervention and follow up steps because I have undertaken the
following:
This requires you to examine the service specification, remembering that there are both requirements and
prohibitions.
You should be particularly mindful of the following aspects to ensure you have a full understanding:
Recruitment/referral from another healthcare professional
Eligible clinical conditions/medicines
Where opportunities to offer relevant healthy lifestyle advice can be taken
Obtaining and recording consent
Method of undertaking the intervention – face-to-face/telephone appointment
Intervention process – interview schedule and next steps
Arranging the follow-up appointment
Follow-up – advice and support, next steps and action to be taken if you cannot contact the patient
Appropriate referral to the GP at the intervention and follow up stages
Record keeping for the pharmacy and reporting to the PCT (or successor organisation)
You may also wish to review the clinical areas covered by the service to ensure that you are competent in those
particular areas, in the mechanism of action and initiation protocol of the medicines and especially any sideeffects, to help you address patients' questions or concerns.
5) Have you considered the necessary communications that are required with pharmacy staff,
patients and other local healthcare providers in order to provide the service?
Have you reflected on your communication skills?
Yes, I have reviewed the interview schedule and considered how I will communicate with patients and other
healthcare professionals and have undertaken the following:
Are you aware that the pharmacy contractor or their representative is required to communicate with local GP
practices about the service?
Yes
Are you aware that colleagues in the pharmacy are required to have an appropriate understanding of the
service?
Yes
If you have NOT answered 'Yes' to all of the above questions you are not yet ready or eligible to
deliver the NMS.
The Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) has facilitated the development of learning materials for
the NMS. The learning materials support pharmacists with gaps in their skills and knowledge in order to help them
demonstrate they are able to deliver the NMS. For more information visit www.cppe.ac.uk.
Pharmacist’s declaration
I have answered 'Yes' to all the above questions and therefore declare that I have the necessary skills and
knowledge to deliver the New Medicine Service and can demonstrate these.
Signed:
Date:
Name:
GPhC registration number:
A completed copy of this form should be given to the pharmacy contractor at any pharmacies where you provide
the NMS.
You may want to record the activities you have undertaken to prepare yourself for providing the NMS in your GPhC
Continuing Professional Development Record.